Asus Transformer 3 T305CA preview – a sleek and fanless Kaby Lake tablet

34 Comments

  1. Devin

    October 2, 2016 at 8:55 pm

    Thank you for your excellent review!

    Well, the screen seems too bright and I do like the kickstand on T303UA, so T305CA might not be a good choice for me. Since T303UAK requires tons of patience, I would probably go with a GS63VR instead, though it is much heavier.

    Anyway, it is literally a horrible time to replace my old laptop now: most ultrabooks in stock lack 4K@60Hz output.

    typos:
    T303CA should be T305CA

    • Devin

      October 2, 2016 at 9:03 pm

      By the way, they use “Core i5-7Y54 or the Core i7-7Y75”

      • Andrei Girbea

        October 3, 2016 at 3:34 am

        Right, thanks for the headsup on this and the T303CA matter.

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 3, 2016 at 3:32 am

      The screen being bright is really not an issue, you can always adjust it down, while that’s not possible the other way around (like on the T330UA). The kickstand on the other hand… I’m not even going to start again :P

  2. Jeffrey Mann

    October 3, 2016 at 1:01 pm

    I thought that the Transformer 3 used the same display screen as the Transformer 3 Pro – so why is its display screen so much brighter?

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 3, 2016 at 3:44 pm

      I thought so too, but it’s actually a different panel, see the model names. If you’ll also look on the official T305CA page on Asus’s website, they mention he 450 nits brightness for the screen, while on the T303UA there’s no mention of that, yet the spec sheets I have mention 300 nits.

      My assumption is they went with a lower-brightness screen in order to prevent abysmal battery life.

      Also keep in mind I’ve tested pre-production versions of both Transformers, but I don’t think the screens are going to be any different on the retail models.

  3. Wojtek

    October 5, 2016 at 5:07 am

    Is Still nothing about UX510uw?

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 5, 2016 at 10:57 am

      I got it today, I’ll take care of it in the next few days and I’ll have the post up in maybe around 10 days. I have 3 other reviews scheduled before that I’m working on. Sry for the delay.

  4. matan

    October 7, 2016 at 4:15 am

    the core i5 (7Y54) and i7 (7Y75) here are the same built as the M, diffeent configuration than the core 6200u and 6500u, intel’s branding is misleading here.

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 7, 2016 at 10:27 am

      I agree, previously all the Core Ys were m3, m5 m7, now with kabylake they have the Core m3, Core i5 and Core i7, all part of the Core Y line.

  5. hi

    October 16, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    The core i5 & i7 have fixed function GPU part that would allow your YouTube test results to be much better regarding battery life. I hope you will actually get those review units because the m3 is not an appropriate recommendation due to poor battery life as you alluded to but seem conflicted on.

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 16, 2016 at 12:31 pm

      I’m sorry but I don’t understand what you’re saying by “fixed function GPU”. Care to elaborate?

  6. Alex

    October 17, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    When and where can I buy this? Not seeing it on Amazon at the moment.

    • Alex

      October 17, 2016 at 5:06 pm

      Never mind, should have read a little closer. :) November. I’ve been looking at the Surface Pro 4 but I dont know if I want to spend that much on it. I love Asus stuff so this may be the thing I’ve been looking for.

      • Andrei Girbea

        October 18, 2016 at 4:11 am

        That’s what I was told for Europe, but they are often a little late. Just keep your eyes on bestbuy and amazon, that’s my best advice, since I don’t have any insiders with Asus North America

  7. Adam

    October 31, 2016 at 6:57 pm

    Thanks very much for this detailed preview – hard to find good info on this model!

    It's a bit disappointing that the screen is great in so many areas, but not so competitive in terms of contrast with the SP4. Also only 76g weight saving over the SP4 Core M3 despite being 1.5mm thinner and having no kickstand. Still, it offers 8GB RAM option, which is really the main problem for me with the SP4. My current tablet has 4GB and Chrome gobbles it up voraciously.

    Even after years of low-power CPU development, it's really hard to find a decent, silent, fast tablet which can replace my iPad and a notebook. Sigh.

    One question – what is the maximum res external display it can drive please? SP4 M3 seems to be limited in that regard too.

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 1, 2016 at 4:55 am

      Since it gets a Thunderbolt 3 port it should drive a 4K screen at 60 Hz. Haven't tried it though.

      • Adam

        November 3, 2016 at 1:20 am

        Hmm thanks. I see the Asus USB-C IO docks only come with HDMI. I guess you'd need a 3rd party one with DisplayPort to do 4k/60 (according to Intel's specs for the Core M3 7Y30).

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 3, 2016 at 4:48 am

        Yes, cause i don't think that's an HDMI 2.0 connection. Haven't tried it though, I don't have a 4K monitor around, perhaps you can find more about this from the forums.

  8. Jeff Newton

    November 19, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    NON-GEEK HERE!!!

    1. Is this thing an UPGRADE or DOWNGRADE from the "Pro" version, which is $1300-$1500 US DOLLARS???

    2. CPU: iIs "Kaby Lake," but is it i7 or something inferior?

    3. RAM: "Pro" IS 16 GIG; if this thing is only 8, why does it have brighter screen, no fan so quiet, and better battery life?

    4. How much in US dollars does it cost?

    5. When is it for sale?]

    6. Does the keyboard work when detached, like the Asus 5 in 1?

    Thank you!

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 21, 2016 at 11:07 am

      Well, its' different. This one is built on a fanless Intel COre Y platform, so it's not as fast as a COre U device like the T303, but it doesn't have a fan.

      3. Yeah, I can't understand why they went with a dimmer screen on the T303 either.

      4.5. Don't know, ask the local Asus dealers.

      6. No, the keyboard works only when physically hooked up to the tablet

      • Jeff Newton

        November 21, 2016 at 1:56 pm

        Thank you for your through reply! I just ordered the T303, so I'll see if the screen is actually bright enough for my purposes, all of which are music related. As to keyboard, since I will be using the device in portrait mode, I'll have to get a $50 fold-able, CD size bluetooth one (the Microsoft one, I think). I don't know why this is such a problem for manufacturers. Apparently, the impending Surface 5 will have this feature. I do need the i7 CPU for the demanding music applications. Thanks again!

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 21, 2016 at 4:16 pm

        If you can share your feedback after a while, it would be greatly appreciated.

      • Jeff Newton

        November 21, 2016 at 7:22 pm

        Shall do!

      • Jeff Newton

        December 16, 2016 at 3:17 pm

        I bought the "Pro" version, and it's fantastic so far! More later…..

  9. Adam

    December 14, 2016 at 11:58 pm

    Nearly Christmas and still no sign of a release (although it is filtering into some European shops as pre-order). Come on ASUS!

  10. Alex

    December 15, 2016 at 9:23 am

    I finally gave up and bought a surface. Got it on Black Friday sale for nearly 999 for the i5 256 with a keyboard.

  11. GrainySnapshot

    January 19, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    I feel that many reviewers haves missed the point of the T305 in the same way they missed the point of the Huawei Matebook. Many reviews say it is lovely, sleek and light BUT where is the kickstand? But they miss the point: if the Surface Pro is too heavy for you (like it is for me) this gives you an option that is nearly the weight of a smartphone lighter. If that weight does not worry you, go buy the Surface Pro or the T303. This (and the Matenook) are tablets first, Ultrabook's only a long way second.

  12. alsonot

    January 30, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    It's not really clear to me if this product came to market. What's the story? Is there a t305CA North American release date planned, or is it just going to fade away?

  13. Deus

    March 10, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    So if I were to choose between Asus Transformer 3 T305CA and Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S, which one would you highly recommend?

  14. Jeff Newton

    March 16, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    I don't know, but ASUS apparently discontinued the Transformer 3 PRO, and the current, not PRO version is an apparent downgrade, and lacks Thunderbolt.

    I'm waiting to see what the SP5 looks like. In the meantime, check out the Acer Alpha Switch 12. That's what I'm getting now.

  15. Lynda

    September 4, 2017 at 7:20 am

    Hi, Is the keybaord a real connection, or simplya bluetooth keyboard attached by magnets?

    Thanks!

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 5, 2017 at 3:14 pm

      The keyboard hooks up to the tablet, it's not Bluetooth powered and cannot run independently

      • Lynda

        September 5, 2017 at 4:36 pm

        Thank you!

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